Sickness
by LiddoAiren
Summary: "I'm sorry cupcake, I didn't want you to know."
1. Sickness

**First League of Legends fic ever! Besides my one crossover of course. I'm not really an avid player of the game, but I absolutely enjoy reading the lore. What's more, I ship Caitlyn and Vi so hard I couldn't just NOT write a story about them.**

 **Please read and review! You can be harsh in yur reviews if you want, it'll help me become a better writer.**

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It became hard to breathe.

Her chest felt tight, as if someone or something had stabbed her through the chest was forcing its hand through the wound, gripping her heart and lungs.

It wasn't the first time and once it came Vi effortlessly maneuvered her way out of her lover's arms, through the darkness of the bedroom and into the lavatory. Quickly lifting up the toilet seat, she vomited. While the darkness prevented her from seeing the contents, she could feel the familiar taste of liquid iron making its way up her throat and down her tongue.

Once she had finished she turned away and rested her back on the toilet, trying to regain lost oxygen. Her chest still felt tight but not as tight as before, allowing her to breathe a little more comfortably. Slowly getting back up and making her way to the door, Vi closed it as slowly and quietly as she could. Caitlyn already had enough troubles to deal with on a daily basis. Knowing about this would only make things worse for her. Finally turning on the lights, she immediately squinted as white suddenly illuminated the room. Giving herself a few more seconds to adjust, Vi made her way back to the toilet to observe the contents.

"Oh dear…" she sighed.

The water was the reddest that it had ever been during the years when she had first started experiencing the symptoms. If it was this bad already, then she was probably closer than she thought.

Why? Why had it come to this? There were so many things she wanted to do. So many things she _had_ to do. She wanted to continue being the enforcer. To continue doing the right thing and bring justice. She didn't want to leave Caitlyn behind. Why did it have to happen now when she had so much to care for and not sooner when she didn't? At this rate, she'd give herself about a few hours before her chest started acting up again. No longer willing to think, the enforcer immediately sat down on the hard, marble ground and closed her eyes, trying to force herself back to sleep.

Sure enough, after a few hours, her chest tightened again, forcing the enforcer out of her slumber and back to the toilet. Her chest heaved more violently, this time making it harder for her to keep quiet. Each time she'd vomit until her body could take it no longer. Once she had regained her breath, she would vomit again, further reddening the water until it looked like there was no water left. Only blood.

It was during one of her resting periods that Vi finally heard knocking on the other side of the door.

"Vi?! Vi?!" Caitlyn cried, as she repeatedly knocked on the door.

The sheriff's voice sounded shaky and full of worry. Not a good sign. She had to think of some excuse, but what?

Mustering what strength she had left, Vi stood up and flushed the toilet before making her way to the sink so she could rinse her bloody mouth. As she rinsed, she could hear Caitlyn's voice becoming more panicked and what sounded like knocking then turned to pounding.

"Vi, please! Let me in!"

Slowly, the enforcer opened the door, only to find herself tackled to the ground by her crying lover.

"Vi, you're here! Oh Vi...Vi!" the sheriff cried, tightening her hold over the enforcer. A little bewildered, Vi returned her lover's embrace, rubbing circles on her back as she whispered words of comfort into Caitlyn's ears.

"Of course I'm here, cupcake. I'll always be here." she whispered.

Vi grabbed hold of her lover's arms and slowly pushed her away so they could see eye-to-eye. Upon closer inspection Vi could see sweat completely covering Caitlyn's forehead, her eyes were red as if she had just finished crying and her nightgown was a wrinkled mess, one of her straps hanging from her shoulder. The enforcer smiled as she wiped away the trail of tears from her lover's face and re-positioned the strap back to her shoulder before kissing her lover's cheek.

Being Piltover's sheriff was tough. Some crimes involved notorious criminals who somehow managed to evade the police force's grasp. Others involved organized crimes with many occurring at the same time, forcing the police to split up their forces. More often than not, it was a combination of both. When things didn't go well, it was on the sheriff to make things right. Combine that with being a daughter of rich parents full of ridiculous expectations, it was no surprise Caitlyn would eventually break down from all the pressure. As such it was Vi who, when not punching people or objects, served as her mental and emotional support. As (surprisingly) the older one between the two, it was Vi who gave Caitlyn the words she needed to hear to keep going. To keep being the best sheriff she could be. To give her all the love and comfort she needed.

"Will you tell me what happened?" the enforcer asked, rubbing her hands over Caitlyn's.

For a few seconds there was silence, as if Caitlyn was contemplating whether or not to say what she wanted.

"I know Ekko wants you to return and I...I dreamed you had left me to go back to Zaun. When I woke up you were gone. I called out to you but you didn't answer back. I thought…" Caitlyn sniffled. "I thought you had left me…"

While saddened by being the cause of her lover's tears, Vi inwardly sighed in relief. Thank goodness she didn't hear her vomiting.

"Oh cupcake," she whispered, bringing her lover back into her arms and stroking her dark blue locks. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise. Piltover's done more for me than Zaun ever did. I'm home now."

She could hear a faint "Thank you" from her lover as she returned to crying into her chest. Vi smiled in content as she continued embracing her lover. She knew she wasn't the greatest enforcer of the law. If anything, it caused one of Caitlyn's biggest headaches as the sheriff would always have to go out of her way to pay for the collateral damage she caused, so she was glad she could be useful for something else and not cause her lover any trouble.

They stayed in the same position for a few minutes in each other's embrace until Vi remembered the reason for her stay in the bathroom.

"Let's get you back to bed now, cupcake." Vi said, slowly standing up with the sheriff.

"Come with me?" Caitlyn whispered, unwilling to let go of Vi's hand.

"In a moment…" Vi whispered, hurriedly leading the sheriff back to their bed. She could feel it returning. She had to get Caitlyn back to bed before it happened.

Unfortunately Caitlyn stood still, noticing Vi's hurry.

"Vi, what's wrong?" she asked, latching onto her lover.

Before Vi could push her away, she felt her chest tighten again.

 _Oh no._

Forcing herself away from her lover's grasp, Vi rushed back to the toilet once again to vomit.

"Vi?! What's wrong?! Vi?!" Caitlyn called out, but Vi was too busy emptying herself of blood to reply. Each vomit being more violent than the last, she could feel the sheriff's horror as she watched Vi redden the water.

She began to grow tired. She was seeing stars. The entire world looked and felt like it was rotating. No longer having the strength to stand, Vi collapsed.

Her vision began to darken as she felt Caitlyn's tears fall to her cheeks.

 _I'm sorry cupcake, I didn't want you to know._

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 **Anything you liked? Hated? Don't hesitate to let me know!**


	2. Relief

**Please read and review! You can be harsh in your reviews if you want, it'll help me become a better writer.**

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 _*BEEP... BEEP...BEEP...*_

The sound of beeping.

It came at a rather slow and steady rate. Was that the alarm? No, it couldn't be. The volume was too low and the frequency of sounds was lower as well. Caitlyn's alarm clock also sounded more like ringing bells...

If that was the case then where was she? It was dark and her right hand felt surprisingly warm. She then felt her eyelids move up, revealing a white ceiling illuminated by bright lights. While it was bright, it wasn't bright enough to sting her eyes like the lights in Caitlyn's bathroom. That and the sound of beeping that didn't cease...this definitely wasn't her lover's room. Looking around, she noticed the only colors in the room were white and blue in contrast to her lover's favor of purple and pink.

It only took a few seconds for her to piece things together.

"A hospital…" Vi outwardly whispered.

She moved her eyes down, noticing most of her body covered in a thin, white blanket save for her arms, and several pipes connected to her wrist. Slowly getting up, she noticed herself being surrounded by monitors. Turning her attention to her warm hand, she saw her lover resting her head on her lap, her hands entangled in her own.

"Cait…" Vi whispered, gently brushing away the dark blue locks that had obscured Caitlyn's face. Behind the stray locks sat Caitlyn's soft face.

Vi gently rubbed the sheriff's face, noticing her red eyelids and moist cheeks. She looked like she had cried herself to sleep. Regret filled Vi's entire being as she realized what she had done to her lover.

She made her find out…

After a few seconds of contact, Caitlyn stirred. Immediately and out of fear, Vi brought her hand back.

The sheriff rubbed her eyes groggily and blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the light before settling her red eyes on the enforcer.

She knew should have felt sorry, but seeing Caitlyn in such a messy state in contrast to her usually prim image, Vi couldn't help but giggle. She cleared her throat a few times to calm herself down.

"Good morning, cupcake." she nervously whispered.

Without a word, Caitlyn came over and tightly embraced her. Sighing in relief, Vi returned her embrace with all the strength she could muster as she felt her shoulders becoming moist with Caitlyn's tears.

"Don't tire yourself out again by crying Cait…" Vi said, pushing her away so she could see her lover's face and wipe her tears. "You've already cried enough."

Once she was done, Caitlyn immediately went back to embracing her lover, this time only sniffling.

"I was so worried…" she whispered shakily.

"I know." Vi replied softly. "Thank you."

This time breaking away of her own will, Caitlyn brought her face to Vi's.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

Caitlyn needn't say much else. Within that one word and a look into Caitlyn's sad and desperate eyes, Vi understood it all. She herself knew why, and she was sure Caitlyn knew it too. Maybe her lover wanted to hear it from her own mouth. Or maybe she was hoping it wasn't the reason she thought it was.

"I didn't want to worry you…" Vi whispered back looking down, too ashamed to face the sheriff after hearing how ridiculous her reason sounded. While she couldn't see her lover's face, she knew she only flooded Caitlyn with more sadness. It was the answer she expected. The answer she didn't want to hear. It wasn't long before Vi found moist spots on her blanket.

"How long?" she heard Caitlyn ask between sniffles.

 _How long ago did you know_.

That's what Caitlyn meant. How long had she been vomiting under her nose. How long had she been suffering behind her back. How long had she been keeping this a secret.

"About a year or so after I started smoking. I quit immediately after." Vi couldn't help but chuckle. "Ironic isn't it? Even after all those years of living in Zaun and breathing in those toxins it was one cigarette that ended me. Or maybe all those toxins really were killing me, but I didn't know it yet. Either way, not even surgery can save me now." Vi replied dryly, still avoiding eye contact with her lover.

Caitlyn sobbed for what felt like the nth time ever since the discovery. Unable to bear it any longer, Vi gently grabbed her by the arms and pulled her into an embrace.

"I'm sorry…" Vi whispered, regretting her remark. "I'm so sorry."

She regretted it, she really did. She regretted everything she had done to Caitlyn. All those nights of being depressed around her lover without giving a reason why. All those times of causing unnecessary collateral damage when she had first found out she was dying. She wanted to cry as well, but she knew had no right. How could she feel sorry for herself when her lover was hurting way more because of her? Well, it wasn't like she could cry anymore. She had long since made peace with the facts.

"Why?" her Caitlyn asked again, bringing Vi out of her thoughts. "What in runeterra made you think keeping this from me was a good idea?"

Vi didn't respond.

"All these nights you were sick and suffering alone and I only got annoyed because you weren't doing your job properly...I was so focused on being the sheriff that I never once thought about how you might have felt...oh Vi I'm so sorry! I must have hurt you so much!"

At Caitlyn's apology, Vi once again brought Caitlyn's face to meet hers so she could shush her.

"Cupcake, don't ever apologize to me. Ever. Do you hear me? You did nothing wrong. Nothing." Vi whispered harshly, putting a finger over Caitlyn's lips. "It was me. It was all my fault. I was selfish, I thought if I'd have kept it a secret you'd have less to worry about. You'd be able to do your job without stressing yourself about me. You already have so much on your plate with your parents and your job...I didn't want to be another one of your troubles. I couldn't let myself be."

"Oh Vi...what would I do without you?" Caitlyn asked, cupping Vi's face in her hands.

"Cait, you worry too much. You're still so young and have so much to live for. Just keep living. Find someone else-"

At that moment, the sheriff crashed her lips against the enforcer's, effectively silencing her. They held the kiss for as long as their lungs allowed it. Unfortunately, Vi's weakened lungs forced them to separate sooner than their hearts desired. To Caitlyn, it didn't matter. Once Vi had regained her breath, she attacked her lips again.

Once she felt she had conveyed her message to Vi, Caitlyn stopped settling for resting her head on her lover's chest.

"Don't you ever _ever_ say that to me again. No matter what, I'll only have you."

Hearing Caitlyn's honest admission, Vi could only shakingly whisper a "thank you" before bringing their lips back together.

And suddenly, everything felt right in the world.

They stayed in each other's arms for a while, with Caitlyn resting her head on Vi's lap until visiting hours were over at the hospital.

"I'll come back first thing in the morning tomorrow." Caitlyn said, giving her lover one last kiss for the day.

"You don't have to." Vi smiled, watching her lover maker her way to the door.

"I know, but I want to. Goodnight my love."

Vi waved as she and Caitlyn kept their eyes locked until they could no longer see each other. Relief flooding her heart as she saw Caitlyn smiling as she left, Vi laid back on her bed and rested.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for the last time.


End file.
